On October 1, journalist Mathew Samuel published an interview with Shweta Bhatt, wife of convicted ex-IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, where Shweta accused “activists” Teesta Setalvad and Rana Ayyub of making tall claims of helping Sanjiv but doing nothing in reality. During the interview, Samuel asked Shweta about the ongoing cases against her husband and how she was managing her day-to-day life. During the conversation, Samuel asked Shweta about the alleged support she has been getting from activists, but shockingly, Shweta denied getting any such support.
Samuel, who is apparently friends with Teesta Setalvad, asked Shweta that Teesta and Rana Ayyub had claimed that they were doing a lot of things in the Sanjiv Bhatt case. Shweta said, “None of them has done anything for Sanjiv’s case as far as these four years are concerned”. Sanjiv was arrested in 2018 and is currently serving life imprisonment in a case related to custodial death. “I don’t think they have even called us,” Shweta added.
Samuel, who was visibly shocked to hear the truth, said, “But they are saying on social media and in public that they are going to help you like a hell lot! They are making such kinds of statements. Rana even came to Kerala and claimed all these things, so did Teesta.”
Shweta replied, “They are not in touch with me at all. I am not in touch with them at all. They haven’t called me. They haven’t helped in any possible way. There is no connection between them and me at all. Nothing at all.”
When Samuel asked why these “activists” had been crying, Shweta said, “You should ask them. There has been no connection at all if we talk monetary-wise, not a single rupee even if we talk about morally, not a single phone call. Not even saying, ‘Shweta, how are you? Do you need any help? How are you coping?’ No courtesy call, nothing at all. I don’t remember talking to Rana Ayyub for ages.”
Samuel bluntly asked, “So they are lying?” to which Shweta agreed and said, “Yes, yes. They are not in contact with me at all.”
Samuel told Shweta how Teesta had been projecting as if she was helping Sanjiv a lot. She even claimed to have formed a team to provide the required support to Sanjiv. “I even get messages on WhatsApp regarding the same. I always refuse to sign.”
Shweta, who was visibly disgusted with her husband’s name being used by the “activists”, said, “Please confirm with me if anything comes across you. I am telling this not only to you but everyone in Kerala because I have a very special place for Kerala in my heart. I have never asked anything from Kerala. Why should people on behalf of us ask for anything from Kerala? This is just not done.”
Samuel then mentioned Enforcement Directorate’s action against Rana Ayyub. He said, “I am asking you all this because these guys are claiming they are the activists. I am a journalist, I am not an activist. I have never gone for an activist kind of program. But these guys always claim they did for this, they did for that. They are fighting against Modi and all these things. And you must be aware that ED confiscated more than crores of rupees from these ladies during Covid times.” Shweta again confirmed that she was not contacted by any of the two and said they did not even make a courtesy call to her.
Rana Ayyub had dismissed Sanjiv Bhatt’s claims about Gujarat Riots in her book
Rana Ayyub wrote a ‘fictional’ book on Gujarat Riots that she claimed to be based on facts and her undercover investigations. However, the tapes that she claims to have as proof were never released to the public.
In February 2011, Tehelka published tainted ex-IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt’s ‘testimony’ wherein he claimed he was present in the meeting with the then Gujarat CM Narendra Modi on February 27, 2002, where he had allegedly said that the Hindus must be allowed to vent their anger.
However, Ayyub dismissed Bhatt’s testimony. She wrote, “Many I knew and spoke to personally did not buy his argument, suggesting that no Chief Minister would jeopardize his political career by giving an order like that amidst dozens of top bureaucrats and officers. There were too many questions. Why did it take so long for Sanjiv Bhatt to come out and give this statement? In many years of reporting on Gujarat, I had never ever come across Sanjiv Bhatt or any accounts by him,” she mentioned.
Sanjiv Bhatt allegedly talked about an amorous relationship between ‘female journalist’ and ‘lawyer-activist’
In September 2017, disgraced cop Sanjiv Bhatt had taken to Facebook to allege that one ‘female journalist’ had an amorous relationship with an IPS officer investigating the Sohrabuddin encounter case as well as one ‘lawyer-activist’ who was fighting the 2002 riots victims’ cases.
While Bhatt had neither confirmed nor denied if the post was about Rana Ayyub, who wrote a book titled “Gujarat Files” which was supposed to be an exposé on the Sohrabuddin encounter case and 2002 riots, he had given enough hints to imply he has written about her.
Many had speculated that the ‘lawyer-activist’ he was speaking about was Mukul Sinha, who passed away after a battle with cancer.
